Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement
From: Google Public Policy
The U.S. and other countries have been negotiating the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, known as ACTA, for the last two years. A number of consumer advocates and technology companies, including Google, have raised serious concerns about ACTA’s potential reach and the impact it could have on Internet users’ rights and innovation.
From: Michael Geist
Monday March 01, 2010
On the heels of the leak of various country positions on ACTA transparency, today an even bigger leak has hit the Internet. A new European Union document prepared several weeks ago canvasses the Internet and Civil Enforcement chapters, disclosing in complete detail the proposals from the U.S., the counter-proposals from the EU, Japan, and other ACTA participants. The 44-page document also highlights specific concerns of individual countries on a wide range of issues including ISP liability, anti-circumvention rules, and the scope of the treaty. This is probably the most significant leak to-date since it goes even beyond the transparency debate by including specific country positions and proposals.
The document highlights significant disagreement on a range of issues. For example, on the issue of anti-circumvention legislation and access controls, the U.S. wants it included per the DCMA, but many other countries, including the EU, Japan, and New Zealand do not, noting that the WIPO Internet treaties do not require it.
A brief summary of the key findings are posted below, but much more study is needed.